Media Release 16 February 2022

Shame on our Parliament for passing of the Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion {safe areas] Amendment bill at its second reading 108-12. This is a shameful indictment on a Parliament that has failed to vote in accordance with the evidence before them that confirmed the bill was not necessary. Right to Life asks the 108 MPs who voted for the bill, where is the evidence to support your vote?

 Right to Life commends the twelve MPs who have voted with integrity to protect women and our unborn and to uphold our human rights of free speech, assembly and communication. 

Right to Life laments the failure of our Parliamentary democracy and asks why the media as the fifth estate failing to question our Parliamentarians on their support for this dangerous legislation?

The Health Select Committee considering this legislation:

• Completely ignored the overwhelming opposition of written and oral submissions made by the public. The Committee  received 914 written submissions. There was overwhelming opposition to the bill with 635 submissions being opposed (70%)  and only 175 in support (19%), 103 submissions were considered neutral.(11%).

 

• Ignored the advice of the Law Commission to the Minister of Justice that this bill was not necessary, as the Summary Offences Act addressed any potential intimidation and harassment of women and staff.

 

• Ignored the fact that District Health Boards and abortion providers did not seek “safe areas” as they did not consider them necessary..

 

• Ignored the fact that Right to Life’s Official Information Act requests to the 20 District Health Boards seeking the number of written and oral complaints received in the last two years from women complaining of intimidation and harassment, revealed that there were no complaints neither oral or in writing, not even one.

The bill has been amended to allow for the Minister of Health to designate a “safe area” not because it is necessary but merely because it is desirable. Why would Parliament suppress our human rights not because it is necessary but because it is desirable?

There is just no evidence to support the passing of this dangerous bill. Why then did the Health Select Committee report back to the House recommending that the bill should be passed?

I believe that the purpose of this bill is:

• To normalise the killing of the unborn as health care.
• To demonise and harass those who are opposed to the killing of the unborn and to suppress dissent.
• To distract attention away from the real intimidation and violence that is inflicted on women and their unborn in the abortion facility. The very real violence is inflicted on women inside the facility where her child is poisoned, sucked from her womb or violently and painfully dismembered.
• To protect the abortion industry by preventing the presence of persons within a safe area offering help to a woman to choose life for her child.

May the 108 misguided MPs who voted for this bill reconsider and in the very best interests of women and their unborn, vote to protect them against this anti-life and anti-human rights bill at its third reading next month.

 

Ken Orr

Spokesperson,

Right to Life N.Z. Inc.